Today, I was honored to participate in commemorating the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), at a celebration in Boston Common sponsored by the New England ADA Center. This landmark civil rights legislation prohibits discrimination of persons with disabilities in employment, public services, public accommodations and communication.For people with disabilities, the act has meant greater equality, inclusion and accessibility in daily life.

Much progress has been made since the signing of the ADA, but there is still much work to be done to promote equality and self-sufficiency.The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) and the Patrick-Murray Administration are deeply committed to expanding ADA initiatives beyond non-discriminatory practices — to include the promotion of independence for people with disabilities. As part of that commitment, in 2008, the Administration instituted Community First, a plan that supports people with disabilities to live successfully in their homes and communities. Key components of Community First include: aiding individuals to transition from institutional care, expanding access to affordable and accessible housing, promoting choice, empowering consumers by developing long-term supports that are high quality and patient-centered throughout health agencies, and increasing understanding of long-term supports.

One of the key initiatives of the Community First plan is to address economic security of people with disabilities, as there is much to be done with respect to the employment of disabled persons and equality.While the unemployment rate for the general population in June of this year exceeded nine percent, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities was over 14 percent in the same time period.

To improve the recruitment and advancement of people with disabilities within the Executive Branch of state government, the Massachusetts Disability Task Force on Employment was formed in May 2008 to develop policies and practices to attract, hire, promote and retain employees with disabilities.The Task Force’s Model Employer plan created a centralized process and fund to support reasonable accommodations for employees who are disabled, developed specialized training programs, built a targeted intern program for people with disabilities and promoted the process by which people can voluntarily and confidentially identify themselves as a person with a disability.

Throughout Health and Human Services, agencies support employment programs that invoke the spirit of the ADA.For example, the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) assists individuals with disabilities to live and work independently through its Vocational Rehabilitation Services program, which provides several programs that support employment, including: interest and aptitude testing, college or vocation training, job placement assistance, skills training, supported work, assistive and/or rehabilitation technology and educating employers about ADA, among other services. One of MRC’s top priorities is to collaborate with employers in creating job opportunities for people with disabilities. In May, MRC and two of its advisory boards recognized seven employersin the Commonwealth for their commitment to hiring individuals with disabilities.

EOHHS is partnering with the Commonwealth Medicine Center for Health Policy and Research and the Institute for Community Inclusion to form Work Without Limits.The program is a public-private partnership which brings together employers, policy researchers, employment service providers, and other stakeholders to provide work opportunities for people with disabilities.

Under the Model Employer effort of the Executive Branch, MRC has established an internship program for people with disabilities.Similarly, the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB) offers a longstanding public-private internship program for legally blind high school and college students to gain early work experience. The program helps students develop professional skills by matching qualified interns with an appropriate employer and provides students with a stipend, orientation and mobility services, and any necessary adaptive technology.Since its inception in 2004, the MCB intern program has grown from two to 40 interns.

Let’s all celebrate the anniversary of the ADA and the progress that has been made over the last 20 years. There is still ground to cover, but the initiatives spearheaded by the Administration and EOHHS embrace ADA’s anti-discrimination measures and bring the Commonwealth closer to achieving equality for people with disabilities.

Recent Posts

By Julia Boland & Terri Mendoza Summer’s finally here, and the temperatures steadily rising, it is important to stay hydrated while soaking up the sun’s rays. Water makes up about 60% of your body weight, so whether you’re riding a bike, playing sports, or …Continue Reading Water, Water, Everywhere!

Summertime… It’s time for fun in the sun, especially after such a brutal winter! But in addition to fun, summer often brings intense heat waves. According to the CDC, on average, extreme heat causes more U.S. deaths than other natural disasters. Heat safety is clearly …Continue Reading The Heat is On – But Heat Illness is Preventable!

Now that we’ve all finally recovered from the historic last winter, we can fully embrace the summer season and all that it has to offer – think farmers’ markets! We now have the option of enjoying time outdoors and checking out all the local produce …Continue Reading Melon Mania

Recent Posts

By Julia Boland & Terri Mendoza Summer’s finally here, and the temperatures steadily rising, it is important to stay hydrated while soaking up the sun’s rays. Water makes up about 60% of your body weight, so whether you’re riding a bike, playing sports, or …Continue Reading Water, Water, Everywhere!

Summertime… It’s time for fun in the sun, especially after such a brutal winter! But in addition to fun, summer often brings intense heat waves. According to the CDC, on average, extreme heat causes more U.S. deaths than other natural disasters. Heat safety is clearly …Continue Reading The Heat is On – But Heat Illness is Preventable!

Now that we’ve all finally recovered from the historic last winter, we can fully embrace the summer season and all that it has to offer – think farmers’ markets! We now have the option of enjoying time outdoors and checking out all the local produce …Continue Reading Melon Mania

2 thoughts on “Celebrating 20 Years of the Americans with Disabilities Act”

Dr. Bigby, It was trully a day to celebrate-and we did. Thank you for joining us on July 26th on the Boston Common from to celebrate the anniversary of the landmark passage in 1990 of one of the nation’s premier civil rights laws, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Much remains to be done to achieve full inclusion for all Americans with disabilities, but it is a different and better world today thanks to the first 20 years of the ADA. Thank you for helping us mark this important milestone with a successful public celebration with great speakers and great performers together in the heart of Boston. Oce Harrison, Director New England ADA Center Boston, MA

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is not a model employer for persons with disabilites. I disclosed my disability and a short time after I was 1 out of 80 computer programmers laid off. For the longest time, I worked for less pay doing the same work as my male non-disabled co-worker. I received no mentoring navigating the union rules.